Sliding Scales
by FyireChildesDream
Summary: POV, um...from the view of a little white dragon? yep! composed as a gift so: 38 not getting it on but wanting to hints. I like the Hakuryu bestest yes I do!


**Sliding Scales**  
a Sanzo and Hakkai fic by FyireChildesDream  
begun: 8/26/03  
  
  
Disclaimer: Oh goody, you get to hear from me! This is my first Saiyuki fic /ever/. So of course it has to be about my favorite character. Hakuryu!!  
Actually this is a Sanzo/Hakkai fic from his pov, so the narration's a bit choppy, but he's an animal so give him a break eh? Because I'm lazy we will arbitrarily establish a few things: 1-this story takes place during the assumed long and relatively uneventful period of travel after the conflict with Chin Iisou, 2-a dragon is a species of lizard, and 3-I have the right to use legally protected characters in a story as long as I make no claim to owning them! And I confess, miserably, that I don't own any famous animated entity, while these specific ones belong to Kazuya Minekura/Enix etc. NOW LAUGH AT MY HORRIBLE FAN-GIRL JAPANESE! GO ON, I DARE YOU!!  
  
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_Heat can drip like water, so humid that a strong breeze could almost make it seem cold, in these moist forests. The heat of direct sunlight on a rock is better, but I make do with a duffel bag next to a cooking fire.  
It's hard work to travel. I would enjoy it more if we weren't so crowded, four people become heavy fast. I like the days when we stop early to camp. Stretching my wings and playing while they work instead. I'm always fed well. My person makes sure I'm never too tired, he tries to make sure no one's ever too tired.  
He talks to me all the time, I've even begun to understand what he's trying to tell me. He says I'm a "guhdboi" and that makes me happy; I love the sound "wahntahtreet." My pet makes talking noises a lot. Happy noises, tired noises, worried noises--sad noises. He makes sad noises when ever he's been quiet and alone.  
I watch him closely now. He's made sad noises every night since his angry ones.  
I worry about my person._  
  


***

  
  
"Oy, is it done yet?"  
"Maybe five minuets more, Goku," my person addresses the only other animal. The stuff in the pot over the fire smells tasty. We're all hungry.  
"But I'm hungry _now_!" Howls the monkey. The tallest one rolls his eyes, my person smiles.  
"We're all hungry, try not thinking about it."  
"Don't expect him to do that Hakkai! He's incapable of not thinking about food every ten seconds, and you know it," the tallest one grins.  
"Like you and girls?!!"  
"Baka saru!"  
"Ero Kapa!"  
"Shut up both of you!"  
That's the cranky one, the human. He wears the fanciest clothes and orders everyone around, but my pet seems to like him well enough. "Why don't you set up the tents and sleeping mats while we wait, to keep your mind off it?" Happy patient noises, my pet likes people to get along.  
"OK! Gojyo, get the mats and I'll get the tent!" The monkey practically dances off to do whatever my person suggested. The others stand around and watch him in embarrassment.  
  
The food in the pot was good, now that it's dark the two loud ones are fighting over what's left while the other man burns the yucky smelling stick and glares into the distance. My pet is doing some helpful chores for the others like always.  
"Why do you get the last spoonful?"  
"Because I'm not a baka saru."  
"I'm not either! That's no reason!"  
"Then it's because I'm older and wiser than you!"  
"You ero kappa!" The monkey punches the grinning man, "I should get it because I'm hungrier!"  
"You're always hungrier you stupid-"  
The grumpy man seems about to say something, he's just taken out that strange fan he carries when my person chimes in. "Play nice please, you'll teach Hakuryu bad manners." Sometimes my pet says things that cause the other's to stare at him. They're doing this now, but the monkey takes the opportunity to finish what's left of the dinner. When the confident tall one notices, he's disgusted.  
"You little--that's it! I can't stand you! I'm going to bed! Over there, and you're not following me. Hakkai, I don't care if it's out of the tent, if I sleep near Goku he might, I dunno, eat me in his sleep! I'll take my chances on enemy youkai!"  
"I would not! You'd probably taste bad anyway."  
The man in robes is twitching interestingly at this point. The fan is back out and both the loud ones get attacked by him. It is very fun to watch!  
Once the two trouble makers are beaten into submission he yells at them. "Sleep now or later, but don't you dare wake us up if you don't stay the night in the tent! Even if you are attacked, baka!" He's panting and mad..._very scary man_...  
"Now, Now. Why not all of you get some sleep, I'll stay up and keep watch," my person makes a happy talking noise, but he's not. He'll make sad noises at me when the others sleep. The other's grumble, the monkey yawns and they head into the tent.  
"When you get tired wake me," says the human, less angry, and follows the other two.  
  


***

  
  
It's so dark that the sky shows light magnified around it's edges, I've dozed most of the evening, but I'm awake now. My pet puts more wood onto the fire, and sits down again. I hop to his lap and he strokes my head. He makes more of his talking noises and I try to understand what he's sad about. I wish he'd smile again soon.  
"I wonder when I'll manage to hurt you too, Hakuryu?" He scratches under my chin.  
"And how would you do that, Hakkai?"  
How long the one in robes has been watching I'm not sure. Now he gets up out of his blankets at the opening of the tent and walks over to us. He looks mad, and fully awake.  
"Sanzo, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I yawn and watch the man sit down next to my person.  
"No, I was going to let you get some sleep; what's this about hurting Hakuryu?"  
"It's nothing really, just--I can't help but blame myself for some of our misfortunes is all," my pet falls silent, he sounds tired.  
"Hn, everyone makes mistakes," grumbles my pet's friend.  
"Except you," my person's laugh could almost make me think he was happy, but he's so nervous. I don't even know why, it's frightening.  
"Except me," the man lights a stick on fire and the familiar smell fills the air. "It's not your fault anyway."  
"I suppose you all think that, but--" the grouchy man lays a hand on my pet's shoulder. He's uncomfortable but he attempts to say something, "Hakkai." He pauses, "..sometimes things just happen, and no one blames you, so...don't blame yourself."  
My person stops smiling for once, he looks about to cry. I don't like this. He starts making sad worried noises, which he never does in front of anyone but me. When he gets to a part that sounds like, "Ahnd ehf I haad nevher," the other man grabs his wrist and shakes my pet.  
When a tear falls from my person's eye, I go to nuzzle his face and make him smile but that horrible bossy man slaps him before I can make a move! I can only watch as my pet chokes out his saddest words among sobs. I'm frantically whining to get this to stop, trying to comfort and protect my pet from this strange problem.  
Then the man reaches across my person, and grabs both his arms. He's speaking again in low angry tones. He begins to shake my pet violently; who seems even more upset now. The man in the robes releases my person, and he--gets sadder? My person wipes his eyes and gives him a look only I should get, "But Sanzo, I--"  
They've gotten very close together, I'm almost squashed between them. The other man loses the anger in his eyes, though he still scowls. He reaches for my pet again, slower this time. He brushes me aside...  
_**NO, MINE!!**_  
  
"@$#$% #^$%&!!!"  
And I'm faced with a metal tube, it has the lingering scent of sulfur and cordite. I freeze in the sudden silence, and send a panicked glance to my person. He's staring at me in shock, then he looks to the man. "Sanzo, what are--"  
"That @$$%ing dragon bit me! @$@%^ @$%&!" He sticks his finger into his mouth, and glares like a wolf. "He's never done anything like that before, are you sure he wasn't playing?" My person sounds nervous now, he takes the man's hand and looks at his finger. He turns on me, "Hakuryu! Bad Dragon! We don't bite our friends!"  
Then the smells register, the blood scent is strong, I didn't intend to bite that hard. But even heavier is the strange musky smell. As I watch my person heal and wrap the offended man's hand I try to place where I've experienced that smell before. It has all the characteristics of a hormone, but only vaguely familiar.  
"Baka Dragon," grumbles the man, and my person smiles. "He didn't mean it, you probably just startled him." They share a cup of water and stare at the fire in an uncomfortable silence. I can see dawn far away at the edge of the horizon.  
"You want to go to sleep, I won't be able to now," the man says quietly. My person hesitates, "um.."  
"I won't stop you from staying up either."  
They shift uneasily. Neither will admit how tired he is; I wish my pet were comfortable. The air stirs and turns cold with the new morning; imperceptibly they draw together. My person quietly addresses his friend, the man in the robe, "Can I stay up and keep you company?"  
"Sure, knock yourself out." They settle down back to back sharing a blanket for warmth.  
"ThankyouSanzo.." They are both asleep within moments, and I crawl under the cloth as well. It's then I notice that my person is happy, not pretending but actually happy. The smell is stronger under the blanket and now I place it immediately. The tell tale pheromones...they would be--mates? It confuses me for a moment, they are strange creatures indeed. I don't think on it long, my eyes are heavy, I just wonder why they never _do_ anything as I fall asleep.  
_...mammals...go figure_  
  
  
  
  
  
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AN: Welcome to the world as seen a little to Hakkai's right, and that ends that, sighs of relief all around.  
giggles at image of Sanzo waving his hand back and forth in an effort to dislodge Hakuryu: "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!!"  
XD  
  
end: 4/28/04  
R&R 


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